


Comfy and Cozy (Side by Side by Side)

by colonel_bastard



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colonel_bastard/pseuds/colonel_bastard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you're stranded on an ice planet for the night, you do whatever it takes to keep warm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfy and Cozy (Side by Side by Side)

**Author's Note:**

> Thought it would be appropriate to finally post this, what with all this polar vortex business going on. Stay warm, everybody.

Sometimes Kirk is more surprised when the transporter actually _works._ This time it’s something about atmospheric interference— the dense conditions that have rendered this an ice planet have also made transporting a rather tricky maneuver. They made it down during an apparent break in the never-ending blizzard, but now the storm has closed in again and the Enterprise can’t seem to get a lock on them. 

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Scott’s voice can barely be heard over the static on the communicator. “You might have to wait it out until morning.”

Kirk automatically glances at his two companions, their faces framed by the furry hoods of their regulation parkas— Spock remains as impassive as ever, but McCoy’s eyes bulge in outrage. 

“Are you _insane?_ ” he hisses. “You expect us to pass a night in _this?_ ”

“Now, now, doctor,” Kirk scolds lightly. “I’m sure we can manage somehow.” He speaks to his chief engineer, his tone again businesslike. “Very well, Mr. Scott, keep us posted. Kirk out.” 

He snaps the communicator shut while McCoy throws his gloved hands into the air in exasperation. 

“These are blizzard conditions!” he protests. “We can’t stay out in this! What are we supposed to do, build an igloo?”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary, doctor,” Spock says calmly, then points off into the swirling snow. “I observed rock formations a certain distance back. The odds of finding shelter there are quite good. I suggest we make our way in that direction.”

Kirk bows and holds out a beckoning hand. “Mr. Spock, if you would be so good as to lead the way.” 

Grumbling, McCoy jams his hands into his armpits but nods all the same, a gruff acquiescence that sends them hiking off single file through drifts that they sink into up to their knees. It helps that Spock is in the lead— as the strongest of the three he proves the most adept at plowing a path for the others to follow. Kirk doesn’t trust McCoy not to fall behind so he takes up the rear, herding the doctor along in the first officer’s wake. Soon enough even he can make out the vague, dark shape of their destination, a solid mass reduced to a shadow in this white-out. 

Spock leads them up among the jagged rocks, as sure-footed as a mountain goat while McCoy flails and grabs at the nearest outcroppings for balance and the captain picks his way gingerly along behind him. Kirk ends up so preoccupied with watching his feet that he bumps smack into Bones when the doctor comes to an abrupt stop. They both peer up towards where Spock is waiting for them, pointing again, this time at the mouth of a cave. 

Squeezing his arm as he passes to go inside, Kirk says warmly, “Nice work, Spock.” 

The Vulcan gives a cordial nod. “Captain.” 

With a few quick forays into the surrounding area, they’re able to scrape together enough brush and branches to build a fire. Bones spends a good deal of time stomping around the stone chamber, flapping his arms around himself and complaining bitterly about the unreliability of transporter technology, an old grudge given new life by this latest malfunction. Spock sits quietly in a corner and reviews his tricorder findings. Kirk grows incredibly bored incredibly quickly, and fussing with the fire is an insufficient distraction. He almost laughs when his communicator chirps, he’s so grateful for something to break the silence. 

His gratitude dissolves when Mr. Scott confirms that they’re going to be spending the night in a cave. 

“Well this is just _lovely,_ ” Bones seethes a few minutes later, his knees hugged to his chest as he glares into the fire. “I think I’ll come back here when I take my shore leave. It’s so _charming._ ” 

“I assume you are being facetious,” Spock remarks idly. 

“Why, Mr. Spock, I do believe you’re catching on!”

“Gentlemen,” Kirk smiles. “It’s been a long day. Perhaps we’d better try and get some rest.” 

“ _Try_ being the operative word,” McCoy grouses, but he pulls up his hood and flops down onto his side, squirming dramatically about for a bit before finally settling down. 

Kirk is arranging himself in a similar fashion when he notices that Spock is making no move to join them. He’s sitting very near the fire, his posture rigid, almost as if with intense concentration. 

“Get some sleep, Spock,” the captain calls to him.

Spock gives a stiff nod. “I will.” 

Pillowing his head on his crooked arm, Kirk allows himself to rest but not to sleep, not yet. He watches Spock across the way. He wants to make sure that the Vulcan doesn’t just sit there all night. 

Time creeps by. Behind him, he can hear McCoy start to snore. The first officer still hasn’t moved an inch. Finally Kirk rolls up onto his hands and knees and shuffles the short distance between them, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

“Mr. Spock, I said—” 

But the moment he touches him, he feels how badly Spock is trembling. Try as he might to sit as still as he can, the first officer’s lanky frame is racked with shivers, his jaw clenched against the onslaught of chattering. Kirk scrambles to sit next to him and throws a protective arm around his shoulders. 

“Spock, why didn’t you _say_ something?” he huffs. 

“I had thought that I could manage it,” Spock answers through gritted teeth. “But it would seem that I am particularly ill-adapted for this climate.” 

“What can I do? I could go and find more firewood if you—”

“A superfluous gesture, Captain. We have plenty of fuel.” 

Helpless, Kirk rubs his upper arms, trying to warm him. He’s never felt Spock shake like this before, and it’s making him more upset than he would care to admit. 

“Well you certainly can’t stay like _this._ You’re freezing.” 

“Unless you are able to suggest an alternative source of heat, then I’m afraid I have no choice but to endure it.” He glances at Kirk out of the corner of his eye. “It is no great difficulty. Do not be concerned.” 

“Nice try, Mr. Spock, but I’m already good and concerned and there’s no use trying to talk me out of it.”

The corner of Spock’s mouth twitches into something that might have been a flicker of a smile. Kirk squeezes him affectionately. He wishes there was some way he could simply give a portion of his own body heat to his first officer— but wait. 

“I have an idea,” he says suddenly. “Open your coat, Spock.” 

Spock raises a single eyebrow as Kirk follows his own orders, unfastening his parka and exposing the golden material of the uniform that identifies him as captain. 

“Come on, then!” he urges. “Or we’ll both freeze!”

Shrugging mildly, the Vulcan does as he’s told, unable to hide his cringe as a fresh wave of cold air washes over him, his whole body jerking against it like an electrical shock. As soon as it’s done Kirk scoots in close, slipping his arms under Spock’s parka and around his back, pulling their chests flush against each other. Spock goes rigid. 

“Captain what are you doing.” 

“I’m warming you up,” Kirk says nonchalantly, resting his chin on Spock’s shoulder. “You wanted me to suggest an alternative source of heat. This is my suggestion.”

“Captain, you don’t have to—”

“Let’s just take a moment and think _logically,_ Mr. Spock. You are in need of warmth and I have plenty to spare. You’ve said yourself that I’m hot-blooded.”

“I was referring to your temperament, Captain.” 

“Well,” Kirk smirks. “That goes without saying.” Beat. Sigh. “I’m not letting go any time soon, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable.” 

Spock rattles in his arms like an old-fashioned motor engine, the shivering only exacerbated by his efforts to remain still. After a prolonged standoff, Kirk gradually becomes aware of two tentative arms beginning to wind their way around him, sliding gingerly into the unfamiliar act of an embrace. Then, at the small of his back, he feels Spock knit his fingers together in a secure hold. Only when the action is complete does the Vulcan finally begin to relax. 

If time crept before, now it seems to stop altogether. It’s so very quiet, with the entire world blanketed in snow and the two of them, here, together without speaking. Kirk can feel Spock breathing against him, the rise and fall of his chest, the push and pull of every inhale. His arms are shaking, and as he attempts to resist it his hold on the captain is slowly growing tighter. Kirk gives an amused grunt and shifts his weight to allow a closer grip. Bit by bit, the chills subside. Soon they have ceased altogether, and the two men both become quite still, cocooned under their overlapping coats. 

“I’m curious, Captain,” Spock’s voice is a low rumble against his ear. “How far into the future did your plan extend? Or did you intend for us to sleep sitting upright?”

“Oh, I don’t know about you, Mr. Spock,” Kirk grins, shameless. “I’m quite cozy myself.” 

He can’t see it but he can _sense_ his first officer raising an eyebrow. They’re sidetracked from this discussion by the sudden awakening of Leonard McCoy, who startles himself out of slumber with a tremendous snort. After he recovers from the shock, he coughs and levers himself up onto an elbow, scrubbing blearily at his eyes. He groans loudly in dismay as he seems to realize that he is, in fact, still in a cave. Then he sees the other two sitting across the way. 

“Oh, _I’m_ sorry,” he says irritably. “Am I interrupting something?” 

Kirk gives a casual shrug.

“Not at all, doctor. Our Vulcan friend was just having a bit of trouble with the weather.” 

McCoy pulls a face. “Why am I not surprised?” He studies the first officer with a keen, professional eye. “Will you be all right, Mr. Spock, or should I be worried?” 

“The captain has devised a solution,” Spock answers. “Albeit a temporary one.” 

“I don’t see why it has to be,” Kirk objects. 

“This position is not conducive to sleep.”

“Couldn’t we just... transition to a more suitable one?”

“I suppose.”

“Oh, _sure,_ ” McCoy snaps crankily. “The two of you just bundle up over there thick as thieves. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” 

“You know, Bones,” Kirk says coyly. “If you want to join us, you only have to ask.” 

“Indeed, doctor,” Spock interjects. “The addition of a third party would only increase the overall distribution of heat, proving mutually beneficial.” 

“Forget it!” McCoy bristles. “I’m a doctor, not a hot water bottle!” 

Moments later they’re all shuffling on their knees to meet in a furtive huddle. It’s just too cold to argue anymore. 

“I think Jim ought to be in the middle,” McCoy declares immediately. 

“That’s not very fair, Bones,” Kirk chides. “After all, it’s Spock who needs it most.” 

The two subordinates regard each other warily, Spock tilting his head and McCoy furrowing his brow. For a moment Kirk is actually a little worried that they might refuse. Then—

“I’ll have you know,” Bones mumbles, “that if I wasn’t in imminent danger of succumbing to hypothermia, I wouldn’t even consider it.” 

Spock inclines his head magnanimously. “Noted.” 

They cautiously arrange themselves in order, but each one is reluctant to be the first to lie down. Kirk ultimately takes it upon himself to break the ice, and tugging his hood up over his head, he stretches himself out on the ground, settling on his side with his back to the other two. As he expected, Spock follows him down almost immediately, though he is a bit more hesitant to truly close the distance between them. Kirk can feel just the barest outline of the officer behind him. Impatient and growing colder with every wasted second, he shoves himself backwards and wedges himself into the curve of Spock’s long, lean body. The Vulcan’s arm comes down reflexively around his waist, and Kirk gives it a reassuring pat to let him know that he can keep it there. 

Somewhere behind them he can hear McCoy muttering to himself, working up the nerve to complete the circuit. There’s much shuffling and fidgeting. Then, with an audible _whump,_ , Bones throws himself down on the end of the heap, curling up awkwardly against the first officer’s broad back. 

No one says anything. No one dares. But once a minute or so passes without incident, they begin to let their guards down. Spock’s arm tightens across Kirk’s belly, encouraging him to get closer. Kirk obeys, then traces a hand down the length of his forearm until he finds the end of it, entwining their gloved fingers in a companionable grip. McCoy’s arm finds its way across Spock’s body, his hand patting about until it locates Kirk’s elbow, which he grabs onto possessively. It becomes quickly, astonishingly comfortable. 

Spock was right. Three is even warmer than two. 

\- -

Kirk is roused by the trilling of his communicator. He fumbles for it and is groggily amazed to find his progress impeded by Spock’s arm, which is still wrapped snugly around his waist. He tries to move it aside as carefully as he can, but Spock is awake the moment he feels the captain’s weight shifting against him. Without any kind of spoken agreement, they both decide not to break the huddle just yet, and Kirk answers the communicator with his first officer quite literally breathing down his neck. 

“This is Kirk.” 

“Scott here, Captain. Looks like that storm has finally cleared up. Ready for transport?”

“Stand by, Scotty.” The communicator clicks shut. “Sleep well, Mr. Spock?”

“Remarkably well, Captain. Your plan was a success.” 

“They usually are,” Kirk yawns. “And Bones?” 

“The doctor is still quite deeply asleep. He seems to have changed his opinion of the arrangement significantly during the night.” 

“What makes you say that?”

“His hold on me has become quite... insistent.” 

Propping himself up on one elbow, Kirk cranes his neck around to see McCoy with his face buried between Spock’s shoulderblades, his arms wrapped around his chest in a fierce death grip. His legs are so tangled up with the science officer’s that at first glance it’s difficult to tell whose boots are whose. Kirk’s eyebrows rise almost to his hairline. 

“It would seem that the good doctor has been persuaded.” 

“He yielded to the logic of the situation.” 

As if he can actually hear the dreaded L-word even in his sleep, McCoy wakes up with a growl, his arms first tightening compulsively around Spock’s chest before he suddenly realizes what he’s grabbing and jerks backwards with an incoherent noise of shock. There’s a flurry of confused kicks as the two officers hastily sort out their jumbled legs and separate. McCoy scrambles to his feet. Spock rises at a more dignified pace. 

“So,” McCoy says, gesturing lamely at the daylight at the mouth of the cave. “We made it.” 

“You sound surprised, doctor,” Spock notes dryly. 

Bones narrows his eyes. “Well after the way certain members of the party reacted to the local climate, I had some concerns.” 

“We can certainly see how dedicated you are to your role as a healer,” Kirk says in a lofty tone. “Judging by the way you were holding certain members of the party this morning.”

“Yes, Dr. McCoy,” Spock concurs, his face perfectly neutral. “I must say that even I found your concern to be quite touching.”

The doctor flushes bright red, though whether it’s from anger or embarrassment Kirk can’t quite tell. 

“ _Well?_ ” he explodes. “Did they fix that blasted transporter or are we going to be stuck down here until we _do_ freeze to death?” 

By way of answer, Kirk flips open his communicator and hails the Enterprise. 

“Mr. Scott?”

“Aye, Captain.” 

“Three to beam up.”

They stand side by side by side. They’re all trying very hard to put on their most indifferent faces, but in the moment just before they energize Kirk loses his composure entirely, and he arrives in the transporter room laughing. 

 

 

 

_________end.


End file.
